Report: Couple's dog euthanized after being mistaken for another animal

PEORIA, IL - A couple says their pet was euthanized at an animal control center after a worker mistook it for another dog.

Tony and Jennifer Wang told WMBD their dog Moses was taken to the center after he bit a maintenance worker who entered their backyard unannounced a few weeks ago. They said Moses wasn't a vicious dog but had simply mistaken the worker as an intruder.

Nevertheless, the pair was ordered to take Moses to Tazewell County Animal Control, where he would be quarantined for 10 days to ensure he wasn't infected with rabies or other diseases.

Thursday morning, the two received a call from animal control saying that an employee had mistakenly euthanized Moses after he confused him for another dog. The couple was in disbelief.

"I asked [the worker] again, could you have verified with somebody? And he said he didn't want to verify, he just went ahead and did it," Tony told WMBD.

They rushed over to the center where they found their pet's lifeless body.

"[Moses] deserved to be with his family to see us. We wanted us to be the last face that he saw before he passed away, not some stranger who was poking him with a stick," Jennifer said.

Reporters with WMBD reached out to the animal control center and were told the organization regrets the error and plans to review all policies to ensure this mistake does not happen again.

Tony and Jennifer are now trying to figure out what next steps they will take.